They can encourage diverse inputs into decision and develop shared values within the Headquarters, home country and subsidiaries.
Expatriates can be sent on international assignments to transfer their own managerial knowledge and technical skills to workers in the host country.
[2] International assignments have a strong influence on building global and managerial competencies and have been labelled as "the single most influential force for the development of managers".
MNCs may send expatriates on international assignments to exploit global market opportunities and embed a culture of cross-border mobility.
[3] Expatriates undertaking an international assignment for organisation development reasons may gain a broader perspective and become familiar with more operations.
The purpose of these assignments is often for management development or problem solving and can include roles such as project supervision until a more longterm arrangement can be found in the host country.
Expatriates on traditional assignments receive support including relocation benefits, housing allowances and annual home leave.
In this position filling purpose, the role of the expatriate is to ensure the strategic objectives of the local subsidiary are met.
[11] Restrictive gender roles in certain cultures results in female executives being less lively to accept or be offered international assignments.
International assignments are a complex mission that involve dealing with certain procedures or legalities such as immigration, expatriate tax and social security.
Other factors that can influence an employee's motivation include: The importance of an adequate selection of individuals for international assignments was reviewed by Caligiuri and coworkers in 2009.
[12] Repatriation is the process of placing the international assignee back into the parent organisation following the completion of the overseas mission.
Some MNCs and organisations have established practices and services to support the return of an employee however research shows that repatriate turnover is a growing challenge.
[8] Unsuccessful repatriation can occur when employees are placed in a role that does not utilise the skills they developed on the international assignment.
This can often lead to a wide variety of issues including career transitions, lack of empowerment and psychological stress.